4 Tips for Writing a Standout Cover Letter

An extraordinary cover letter can be your ticket to catching a hiring manager’s eye. But what does a standout cover letter look like? To find out, we posed this question to career professionals, and they had plenty to say! Save

An extraordinary cover letter can be your ticket to catching a hiring manager’s eye. But what does a standout cover letter look like? To find out, we posed this question to career professionals, and they had plenty to say!

As an example, Shannon offers the following (for a prospective accountant):

“In this flooded job market, finding a good accountant can be as easy as picking out a new shirt at the mall. However, finding that perfect candidate with a balance of technical skills and an understanding of your industry can be more challenging. With over five years of experience, I am sure that I can meet your needs.”

2. Give insight into who you are.

“Show your humanness!” says Denise Dudley, author of Work It! Get In, Get Noticed, Get Promoted. “The best thing about a cover letter is that it isn’t a list of accomplishments, or a series of summary statements, like your resume. It’s conversational. And this conversational format allows you to talk about yourself in a way that can really grab the attention of hiring managers—and make them want to meet you in person.”

To help employers see you as an individual rather than as a generic candidate, Dudley suggests presenting a personal narrative.

“Talk about your love of working with children. Or your ability to organize diverse groups of people. Or how much you enjoy the challenges of international commerce. Or how you’re at your best when you’re presented with an ‘impossible’ project. Showcase your warmth, eagerness, and genuineness—coupled with your professionalism and competence, of course.”

3. Offer “proof” of your fit.

“A resume already contains a wealth of information on base skill sets, but if a cover letter can tie the measurable results achieved in a candidate’s past work with the skills expected in the job they’re applying for, this can make all the difference,” says Melina Gillies, HR specialist at SalesUp! Business Coaching. “Showing metrics lets hiring managers know that you pay attention to detail and are able to tie your own results to the big picture of an organization, as well as being able to deliver on what the job advertisement indicates are critical skills to possess.”

Obviously, measurements differ by industry, but Gillies presents the following as an example:

“If productivity goals and tight timelines are noted as important to the role, don’t just reiterate that you’re great at meeting deadlines; let me know you were able to increase productivity by 34% while reducing costs by 10% and provide a short sentence on how you did that.”

4. Don’t write a novel.

Let’s get right to the point of this last suggestion.

“Keep the cover letter short (a maximum of one page if at all possible),” says Timothy Wiedman, retired associate professor of management and human resources at Doane University. “Screeners could easily have dozens upon dozens of application packages to deal with, so a multi-page cover letter densely packed with prose will not likely be appreciated—and may not be read in its entirety!”

While succinctness may be challenging given all you wish to convey, think of it as a way to show the hiring manager another of your talents—the ability to communicate effectively!